2. Contact Info

3. Dealer Selection

We just published our First Drive of the 2014 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T and came away impressed with the new turbo-four. It’s safe to say that few will miss the outgoing 2.5-liter inline-five. That said, we wonder if Volkswagen should have tweaked the sheetmetal a bit to go along with the new powertrain.

This current-generation Jetta has been in production for about three years, already making it one of the older offerings in the compact segment that now includes an all-new Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sentra, and Mazda3. While we wouldn’t call the Jetta offensive, it does look a bit staid compared to the competition. The GLI and Hybrid models, however, are somewhat more appealing thanks to special rims and LED daytime running lights. The interior is also fairly simple, though the straight-forward layout is ergonomically friendly and absent of any clutter.

The 2014 Volkswagen Jetta‘s 1.8-liter turbo-four produces 170 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque, the same hp and 7 lb-ft more than the outgoing 2.5-liter. Most of that torque, however, comes much sooner in the powerband and overall the engine feels livelier than the inline-five. Better yet, fuel economy has improved.

That said, do you think Volkswagen missed an opportunity to refresh the Jetta’s skin? Or do you appreciate the sedan’s no-frills packaging? Sound off in the comments below.